Kingsford, Michigan is in the southern part of the Upper Peninsula, bordering on the Menominee River, which separates Michigan from Wisconsin.
The city is adjacent to Iron Mountain to the north, and to Aurora, Wisconsin to the south. Norway is nine miles to the east, and about four miles from Niagara, Wisconsin to the southeast.
M-95 begins at the bridge separating Michigan from Wisconsin, becomes Carpenter Avenue as it enters Kingsford, then runs north from Kingsford to Humboldt Township, near Champion. US-141 and US-2, which run concurrently in this region, bypass Kingsford to pass through Iron Mountain, crossing the river into Wisconsin, north of Kingsford and Iron Mountain. Pine Mountain Road runs north from the central portion of Kingsford, connecting with US-2 and US-141 just east of the Menominee River.
The Ford Airport, partly in Kingsford and partly in Iron Mountain, serves both cities and the surrounding region with scheduled commercial jet service and general aviation services.
The city employs a Public Safety Department, which is a combined police and fire department, and its Public Works Department maintains the city's streets, park facilities, and water and sewer systems. Emergency Medical Services are provided by Beacon Ambulance Service, a private company that provides prehospital services throughout Dickinson County, as well as northern Marinette and Florence counties in Wisconsin. The company maintains a station in Kingsford.
Public school services are provided through Breitung Township Schools, which covers Kingsford and Breitung Township. All of the district facilities are within the city limits, including Kingsford High School, Kingsford Middle School, and Woodland Elementary School.
Kingsford's population has remained relatively stable since it first appeared on a census role in 1930, with a population of 5,526, maintaining a population above 5,000 and below 6,000 throughout, although it is predicted to drop slightly below 5,000 in 2020.
In 1920, there were only about forty residents in the area that was to become Kingsford, and there were no settled communities or businesses. However, about that time, Henry Ford contacted Edward G. Kingsford, a real estate agent who also owned several auto dealerships, to express his interest in buying land for a sawmill and parts plant in the Upper Peninsula, where the Ford Motor Company would manufacture the wooden components for the Ford Model T automobiles, whose chassis was made mostly of wood. Kingsford was married to Ford's cousin, Minnie, and the families were close.
E.G. Kingsford handled the purchase of 313,447 acres of land for Ford, and the company employed more than 3,000 people before the year was out. A townsite was platted, and Kingsford was incorporated as a village on December 29, 1923, and named for Edward G. Kingsford. By 1925, the Ford Motor Company employed more than seven thousand people in Kingsford.
The Ford Motor Company built more than a hundred homes in the neighborhood that became known as the Ford Addition. Because of the involvement of the Ford Motor Company and Henry Ford, several Kingsford landmarks bear his name, including the Ford Airport, the Ford Dam, the Ford Clubhouse, Ford Hospital, Ford Park, and the Ford Commissary.
As a byproduct of the Ford Motor Company wood distillation operations in Kingsford, there was a lot of waste, particularly in the form of wood chip ash or rough charcoal. In order to make use of what would otherwise be a waste product, Ford borrowed an idea that had previously been patented by Ellsworth B.A. Zwoyer, to mix the crushed charcoal with a potato starch glue, forming it into a pillow-shaped briquette, and the resulting Charcoal Briquets were sold exclusively by Ford at each of the auto company's dealerships. When Ford died in 1947, and the company was taken over by Henry Ford II, the company sold the charcoal business to a group of local businessmen, who formed the Kingsford Chemical Company to market Kingsford Briquettes, which the city is known for today. Today, the product is familiar to most people, and the company now known as the Kingsford Products Company is the leading manufacturer of charcoal in the United States, although it is now a subsidiary of The Clorox Company, and headquartered in California.
The Ford Motor Company closed its sawmill and parts plant in 1951. This resulted in a 12.7% drop in the population of Kingsford, but the city quickly rebounded. Other industries have picked up the slack and the city has remained stable. Today, the industrial center developed by Ford hosts a variety of industries and commercial operations, and other area commercial businesses ancillary to these manufacturers also add to the city's economic base.
Topics related to the city, local businesses, industries, schools, churches, attractions, and activities are appropriate for this guide.
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Recommended Resources
Begun as a hobby, the family owned and operated microbrewery is located in Kingsford, Michigan, and named from a 1970s proposal for the Upper Peninsula to secede from the state to form its own State of Superior. Several photos of the facilities are provided, its flagship beers are outlined, and a food menu are published on the site, which includes a calendar of events, location, business hours, telephone number, and a contact form. A brief history of secession proposals is included.
https://www.51ststatebrewingco.com/
Serving the City of Kingsford, Michigan, and Breitung Township, the public school district provides a PK-12th-grade curriculum through Kingsford High School, Kingsford Middle School, and Woodland Elementary School, each of which is highlighted here, and located in Kingsford. District and faculty contacts, enrollment information and forms, meal menus, bus schedules, and an overview of its athletics programs are set forth, and resources for students, parents, and staff are provided.
http://www.kingsford.org/
The Dickinson County city is part of the Iron Mountain, Michigan and Wisconsin Micropolitan Statistical Area. The official municipal website posts a calendar of upcoming events, city council meeting schedules, agendas, and minutes, ordinances, plats and subdivisions, and various documents and forms. Administrative and departmental contacts, and a guide to local schools, parks, and recreational programs and activities are included, along with photographs of various city locations.
https://cityofkingsford.com/
Dance Academy of Michigan, The
Headquartered in Kingsford, Michigan, the Academy also has locations in Escanaba and Iron River, in Michigan, as well as in Aurora, Wisconsin. Class schedules, show schedules, recitals, and other events are published on the site, along with its locations, dates, and contacts. Online classes may also be available, and a password-protected area of the site is available to students and staff. Also hosted by the Academy is Black Dragon Taekwondo, which is featured on this site, as well.
https://www.thedanceacademymi.com/
Knights of Columbus Local Council #1585
The K of C is a global Catholic fraternal service order whose membership is limited to Catholic men. Based in Kingsford, Local Council #1585 is comprised of Catholic men from Kingsford, Iron Mountain, and the surrounding area. Membership information is featured, along with its hall location, a calendar of events, and hall rental policies, as well as its Bingo activities, Calendar Raffle, and prayer requests. The hall telephone number, news, and a contact form are included.
https://www.bishopbaraga1585.org/
Northwoods Pediatric Dentistry
The pediatric dental practice in Kingsford, Michigan offers a wide range of dental services to children twelve and younger, including preventative and restorative services to children, toddlers, and babies. Its location, office hours, phone and fax numbers, and an appointment request form are presented, along with an overview of its services, an introduction to the providers, client testimonials, new patient information, financial policies, and access to patient forms.
https://www.northwoodspediatricdentistry.com/
